Beginning a new era with Alen Stajcic at the helm, the Western Sydney Wanderers have undergone a slow start to their 2024/25 A-League Men season. After a promising pre-season and a respectable Australia Cup campaign, the Wanderers are struggling, with only one win across their opening five matches.
A dejected Anthony Pantazopoulos (bottom left) watches on as the RBB depart CommBank Stadium following the Round 3 loss to Adelaide United. (Image: Harley Appezzato)
Currently 10th on the table, above the Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory, and Brisbane Roar, the Western Sydney Wanderers have suffered their worst start to a league campaign since the 2014/15 season. This poor form, which includes two defeats to their biggest rival, Sydney FC, has been tainted by many mistakes and a lack of effort on the pitch.
Many are attributing the poor start to Alen Stajcic's coaching ability and influence on the squad. The club's current predicament is sending a grim message to its fans to prepare for another disappointing season in which the team will fail to qualify for the Finals Series.
Statistics can represent all the positives and negatives of the Wanderers' campaign thus far, but the eye test of the players' performances also defines the state of the squad. The team has developed many bad habits that have hindered its performance, and multiple matches from this year alone highlight this.
So far, Stajcic has used a 4–4–2, as he has done at previous stops. The most notable part of his tactics in possession is to use width through wingers or overlapping full-backs, aiming to deliver crosses to the two mobile strikers attacking the penalty area. It should also be noted that the wingers tend to cut inside to create more central options, which is how the Wanderers have orchestrated most of their attacking chances.
To break through the opposition line, Stajcic has rotated a false nine role between his two forwards—usually Brandon Borrello and Zac Sapsford—to mainly orchestrate attacks from deeper positions and create space for the wingers—Nicolas Milanovic and Bozhidar Kraev—to run through. However, this setup does not suit the team due to the lack of creativity from the midfield. This issue is the first one for the Wanderers at the moment.
Without a proper false nine or creative-minded attacker, the Wanderers have been regularly forced to resort to hopeful long balls into their attackers or down either wing to create chances, often in transition. This approach almost seems like an easy one from the Wanderers, using this method to force a defensive mistake from the opposition rather than attempting to break them down by maintaining possession for long periods.
However, this approach seems particularly prevalent when the Wanderers chase an equaliser, as seen in both Sydney Derby losses, having been behind late in the match. Otherwise, the attack is Western Sydney's only positive to note, but that does not mean it is the best in the league. Their build-up play and chemistry upfront can be improved, but it has worked so far through the efforts of Milanovic, Borrello, and Sapsford.
With Juan Mata and his experience at the squad's disposal, it should be taken advantage of to give the Wanderers a creative nudge in attack, particularly when coupled with the work rate of Milanovic and Borrello to constantly drive at defenders and assist in breaking down opposition lines more efficiently. But Stajcic's focus should be put elsewhere before addressing any attacking issues.
Marquee signing Juan Mata has only started twice for the Wanderers so far this season. (Image: Tahlia Daly)
Out of possession, Stajcic has prioritised having bodies behind the ball and in front of the opposition, although this approach has backfired numerous times from the lack of intensity off the ball and communication in defence, where players are not tracking the runs of forwards moving in between channels, putting the goalkeeper at risk.
This issue was most prominent in the match against Adelaide United and the season opener against Sydney FC, where both midfield and defensive lines backed off from the player on the ball. The lack of focus allowed many creative personnel to take advantage of the defensive approach, such as allowing Ethan Alagich's shot to force a mistake from young Tristan Vidackovic, who faced unnecessary pressure that match due to this lack of off-ball intensity.
The lack of defensive concentration can even be seen from their first outing in the Australia Cup against Brisbane City. While the Wanderers primarily controlled proceedings in their 2–1 win in August, this match highlighted a complacency that led them to concede. This trend has continued in their league matches, particularly costing them in the first derby, conceding Patryk Klimala's winner only seven minutes after equalising through Aydan Hammond.
The defence has almost always been disorganised under minimal pressure from the opposition's attack. The spine of Jeong Tae-wook and Alex Bonetig seems to lack leadership. While Tae-wook is a solid defender, he has not matched the presence someone like Marcelo had at the back, and lacks consistency.
Bonetig is too young to consistently be at his best, and the squad depth behind him is much the same. On to the full-backs, both Gabriel Cleur and Jack Clisby are in rough patches of form, as is Joshua Brillante in midfield. This inconsistency leads us to conclude that the Wanderers' recruitment was poor, while the squad's strengths have not been fully maximised.
Josh Brillante was left out of the matchday squad for last week's Sydney Derby. (Image: Tahlia Daly)
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Overall, the Western Sydney Wanderers can expect another season of disappointment if they continue this poor run of form. The issues can be summarised in a lack of creativity, intensity, and tactical focus, which, at this rate, means the club will not be competitive this season. However, this should not mean that this Wanderers side cannot meet expectations after the first five matches.
This team can finish in the top six, but the onus is on the players and coaches, namely Stajcic, whose tactical approach has been questionable, considering the players in his squad. His style and approach have so far neglected the qualities of his players, suppressing those not suited to the system while over-relying on individual quality dragging the Wanderers to positive results.
It may be too early to start criticising. But with Stajcic's goals and expectations (he said before the season began that he wanted to win the competition), the squad will have to reflect deeply on their performances to refocus on their lofty goals.
Right now, the Wanderers are too inconsistent to believe they will be a top-six team. Changing that perception will require a sudden change in form and attitude, with three points against Melbourne City more a need than a want.
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